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WITandWISDOM(tm) - October 11, 2001 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything. - Mark Twain Submitted by Bettie ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: "One of my colleagues at work frequently yells at me. How should I react?"- Francis G. Dealing with loud, angry people is always a challenge, but with a little practice you can master the situation. The next time someone raises their voice, don't say a word until their tirade stops. Just look at them without opening your mouth. When they've finally run out of gas, ask this simple question, "Could you tell me that again - more slowly?" Suddenly, you're in control. It's practically impossible for someone who is upset to speak slowly. Instead, they'll either apologize or back away. Here's another path you can take if someone suddenly confronts you in an outrage. Say, "What you're talking about comes as a surprise. I don't have an answer for you right now, but let me think about it for a little while. Can we get together in a couple of hours?" In almost every case, the person's anger will have subsided by the time you meet again - plus, your response will be based on reason, not emotion. By Neil Eskelin in Neil Eskelin's Daily Jump Start(tm), Copyright (c) 2001, http://www.neileskelin.com ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT® POPCORN Well, get out your poppers, because October is Popcorn Poppin' Month. Centuries before butter-flavored topping and outsized tubs at the multiplex theater, Asians grew popcorn. But it probably originated in Mexico. Ears of popcorn found in a New Mexico cave in 1948 are thought to be about 5,600 years old. Today, Americans consume more than 17 billion quarts of popped corn a year - about 68 quarts for each of us. What do you know about this American favorite? Try a "pop" quiz by Kenneth C. Davis, author of "Don't Know Much about the Universe." http://isbn.nu/0060194596 1. What puts the pop in popcorn? 2. Do all types of corn pop? 3. Who introduced popcorn to Europeans? 4. Popping corn: vegetable or grain? 5. Is microwave popcorn just like regular popcorn? "Pop" Quiz Answers: 1. A drop of water in each kernel, surrounded by starch. When the corn is heated, the water turns to steam. Pressure builds until it explodes and the starch inflates, inverting the kernel. 2. No. Of the six types, including familiar sweet corn, only popcorn pops. 3. Natives tried to sell it to Columbus. In 1519, the Aztecs gave Cortes his first taste. 4. It's a cereal grain. 5. Yes and no. The Popcorn Board says they're the same, except microwave corn usually has larger kernels. Source: USA Weekend, September 28-30, 2001, http://usaweekend.com ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: From a Boys and Girls Club of Chicago notice: "We are waiting confirmation from the Chicago Park District for swim times. Sorry for the incontinence. Will update you as soon as her hear." From: Chicago Sun- Times, http://www.suntimes.com/index/ Source: The Oregonian, Copyright (c) July 17, 2001, http://www.oregonian.com/ Submitted by Barbara Henry ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: How does one shoe size differ from the next bigger or smaller size? Admit it: They never tell us what the difference is and we never ask, right? We're just like cattle. Well, OK, I suppose we're really more like horses, which also wear shoes, but then the expression doesn't deliver the idea of being passively led. Originally measurements of all kinds were based on body parts. A foot, for example, was the length of a person's foot. But whose foot? Now you've stepped in it. For centuries such measurements, including shoe sizes, were not standardized. The Romans took the first step in setting things right. They discovered that barleycorns tended to be of uniform length and decided that three of them in a row equaled an inch. Early shoemakers used one barleycorn, or a third of an inch, for size increments. And that's where it still stands today. Now you want to know about widths? Give 'em an inch and they take . . . . From: IMPONDERABLES: THE SOLUTION TO THE MYSTERY OF EVERYDAY LIFE, By Feldman, David; Schwan, Kas Published by Harpercollins (P) (Sep 1, 1987), ISBN: 0688059147, http://isbn.nu/0688059147 Source: MailBits.com Trivia, Copyright (c) 1998-2001. All rights reserved. Http://MailBits.com/ |